How to Keep Track Of Time In VR

All VR can take you on an incredible journey, but there's just something about the PC-based systems, including Windows Mixed Reality (WMR), Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive, that can eat up time and leave you wondering why it's dark out when you started playing in the afternoon. If you'd like to keep track of time without having to remove your headset and look at a real clock (what a drag), there are a few tricks you can employ to get a quick time check before resuming your VR adventure.

How to keep track of time while in Windows Mixed Reality

Setting up voice commands inside WMR generally makes your VR life easier, and if you include Cortana in the mix, you can ask her what time it is at any point in your virtual travels.

Just say Hey Cortana to get her attention, then say What time is it?. She will tell you the time as well as display a clock. Yes, it's that easy.

How to keep track of time while in Oculus Rift

Instead of using a voice command, there's a nifty trick you can use with your Oculus Touch motion controller. To display the time — along with volume control, battery life and date — press the Oculus button on the right controller to bring up the Oculus Dash.

Just point your controller at the tile on the far right (it looks like a settings menu) and the information will pop up. Hit the Oculus button again to close the Dash and get back to VR business.

How to keep track of time while in HTC Vive

Like Oculus Rift's Dash, SteamVR and HTC Vive have a similar overlay feature that displays the time, volume, and a list of recent apps.

To bring up this menu, just hit the System button on either Vive wand. The time is located near the bottom of the overlay. Hit the System button again to close the overlay and get back to your VR experience. If you're using WMR or Rift with SteamVR, the same process can be used to bring up this overlay.